Struggle Alone Pleases Us
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: Crossover with Torchwood--Captain Jack Harkness wakes up in Eureka.


Title: Struggle Alone Pleases Us  
Notes: Amilyn suggested Jack Harkness and Nathan Stark, loggerheads, testosterone-charged. Uh, this went a bit far afield from that prompt, but I'm sure nobody will mind.

* * *

Jack blinked, the pain in his entire body slowly fading in the familiar feeling of coming back to life. The bad news, he decided, was that he was in a hospital bed, which meant someone had found him while he was dead. The good news was that all three of the people standing over his bed and glaring at him were good-looking. (Hey. Die enough times and you learned what was really important.)

The police officer was just plain adorable, but the way he was trying to stand in front of the gorgeous black woman said that he was already taken, emotionally if not physically. But that left...

"Hey, tall, dark, and handsome," Jack said, grinning up at the man in a suit that would make Ianto green with envy.

The man's eyebrows shot up. "Now that's something you don't see every day," he murmured to the other two.

"Dead men propositioning you?" the police officer asked. "Or someone who thinks you're handsome?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Focus, Carter."

"I am focused. I'm very focused on the fact that this guy was dead when Jo found him and now he's not. So why don't you tell me what Section 5 experiment escaped this time and I can get back to watching the football game and waiting for Zoe to get back from her date."

Jack tucked his hands behind his head and smiled happily.

Everyone turned and glared at him. "What are you smiling about?" the two men demanded.

Jack's smile widened. This was better than Torchwood after midnight when everyone had had too much caffeine. "Nothing. Just enjoying the show."

The woman sighed. "It gets old after a while."

"Yeah, but it's new to me."

Shaking her head, she waved at the two men. "I've got a conference call with the DoD in twenty minutes. Please try not to blow up GD while I▓m on the call." Without waiting for a response, she stalked away, and all three men watched her walk with appreciation.

When Jack looked up, both men were glaring at him possessively. Whoops? He shrugged with a "can't help it" expression, and that seemed to make sense to them.

"Who are you?" the gorgeous man in a suit asked, still scowling at him.

"Isn't he one of yours?" the police officer (Carter? First name or last?) asked, looking incredulous.

"No, he is not."

"Captain Jack Harkness. Nice to meet you."

Jack stuck out a hand and Carter automatically shook it. "Uh...Jack Carter. I'm Eureka's police chief. So...would you like to tell us why you were sneaking into town?"

"And how you pulled that little trick?"

Jack turned his most charming expression on the other man. "And you are?"

He smirked. "Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Carter blinked. "Do I need to leave you two alone?"

Jack was about to say 'Yes' when his brain finally decided it was completely healed. Oh. Right. Best to be (mostly) candid then. "I didn't exactly intend to collapse on the way in. My tech person thought she had a way to get me in undetected. I'll have to let her know it didn't work."

Nathan Stark (how could he forget that face, even just after dying?) crossed his arms and waited.

Jack shrugged. "Have you ever heard of Torchwood?"

"The least secret top secret organization in the world?" Stark said, narrowing his eyes. "Are you claiming you're from Torchwood?"

"Well, since the London debacle, I rather think I am Torchwood."

Stark actually looked startled for an instant. "Harkness. I've heard of you."

"You have?" Carter looked between the two of them.

Stark glanced over at Carter as if he'd forgotten about him. "You're not cleared for this. I'll handle it from here."

"I'm not--" Carter took a breath. "Have you forgotten that this guy broke into Eureka? It's my job--"

"Carter. I'll handle it."

"Fine." Carter glared at both of them and stomped away, still shaking his head.

Jack watched him walk away and decided it was possible that his ass might be slightly better than the lovely woman's, who he now seemed to recall was Allison Blake.

Stark was watching him and Jack shrugged.

Stark sighed. "If I can have your attention...we need to talk about what you were doing here."

"I don't suppose you'd buy curiosity as an explanation?"

"No."

"That's what I thought." Jack leaned back against the pillows, thinking fast.

--end--


End file.
